Sprinter, 16, who broke Usain Bolt record takes another crown by hitting new 31-year fastest time
Gout Gout has been setting the athletics world alight this year and the Australian teenager was at it again as he broke a 31-year 200m record at the weekend
by Jake Bayliss · The MirrorGout Gout has smashed new 200m records as the teenage prodigy continues to draw comparisons to Usain Bolt on the track.
The Aussie sprinter clinched the All Schools Queensland title over the weekend, but his heat time of 20.29 seconds really turned heads. Gout, 16, first caught global attention when he clocked 20.60 seconds to secure silver at the U20 World Championships in August, beating Bolt's record in the same competition by 0.01 seconds.
Bolt ran 20.13 seconds at the same age as Gout, but the teenager's recent performance shows he's hot on the heels of the Olympic legend's time. The young star has enjoyed a memorable year already, bagging the U18 Oceania title in June, and continued setting records in Queensland.
Gout took home the All Schools Queensland championship with a commendable 20.52 seconds in the final, narrowly missing out on matching his earlier time. His previous sprint of 20.29 seconds in the heats broke the Queensland Open 200m time and set new Australian and Oceanic U18 and U20 records.
It was the quickest 200m time recorded by any Australian since 1993, bringing him closer to the national record of 20.06 seconds held by Peter Norman since 1968. Gout's Queensland run saw him beat the Australian U20 record of 20.41 seconds and made him the fourth-fastest U18 200m sprinter ever.
Despite not turning 17 until the end of the year, Gout continues to set age-group records. Last year, aged 15, he smashed the Australian U18 200m record.
Gout also won the 100m final in Queensland with a time of 10.31 seconds and is starting to turn heads globally. In October, the young athlete inked his first sponsorship deal with Adidas.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Gout Gout break Usain Bolt's record? Tell us in the comments section below
While the 16-year-old has ambitions to surpass Bolt's time of 20.13 seconds, he still has some distance to cover to challenge the senior world record. Bolt clocked an incredible time of 19.19 seconds at the 2009 World Championships.
Meanwhile, Gout was just 0.02 seconds off equalling his personal best in the 100m over the weekend. His record time of 10.29 seconds ranks him 35th on the U18 all-time list.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.